Second House: the House of Value (Meaning and Astrology)
The 2nd house represents the activities and habits that support one’s livelihood and sense of self-worth. It describes the skills, talents, and resources that one can cultivate in order to produce value in the world as well as a sense of internal value or self-esteem. In a horoscope, the zodiac sign on the 2nd house (and its ruling planet) can describe themes and activities connected to earned income.
The 2nd house is one of four succedent astrological houses on the birth chart (2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th)—houses which follow angular houses and can be understood as supporting the concerns of the house that it follows. The 2nd house rules over that which sustains one’s physical existence (through generating resources necessary for survival) as well as one’s psychological existence through the cultivation of self-worth and an internal sense of value.
Key Concepts
List of 5 keywords:
Earned income
Material possessions
Skills and talents
Self-worth
Values
What Does the 2nd House Rule?
The 2nd house is known as the House of Value on the astrological natal chart. It describes the ways that one cultivates one’s skills and talents to earn income that supports one’s livelihood in the material world, as well as any foundational challenges related to one’s sense of inherent worthiness. The ruling planet of the sign on the 2nd house cusp can convey more detailed information about the activities connected to one’s income and wealth.
Income
The sign on the 2nd house cusp, its ruling planet, and any planets residing there can describe how one earns a living and any gifts or challenges related to earning money. The sign on the 2nd house can describe psychological motivations for one’s hard work, and its ruling planet can convey information about what type of work one is drawn toward.
Skills and Talents
The 2nd house can describe the kinds of inherent skills and talents that one can cultivate in order to create value in the world. These are important resources that can be refined and developed to support one’s internal and external sense of value and place within the larger fabric of society.
Values
The 2nd house can describe the values that shape the work we do in the world, the ways that we earn our living and the kinds of work that we’re drawn to. It can also describe one’s internal sense of value and any psychological hurdles related to achieving a positive valuation of one’s self and one’s talents.
Transits in the Second House
Transits to the 2nd house can impact the nature of one’s work, the flow of one’s income, and the inner feeling of being resourced and capable of supporting oneself. These can initiate changes related to the way one earns money, the development of one’s skills and talents, and one’s evolving values and feeling of worthiness.
Depending on the planet involved, these transits can either be experienced as the growth of one’s skill set, resources, and income or otherwise as a period of limitation, roadblocks, and challenges to the way one earns a living. Transits can also be experienced internally as an expansion of self-worth or as a feeling of inner limitation and self-doubt.
Planets in the Second House
Sun: The Sun in the 2nd house indicates that part of the core motivation of the essential self is to find meaning and purpose through cultivating one’s value in the world. Being compensated well for one’s work and skills can provide a deep sense of satisfaction. There can be an appreciation for the material pleasures of life and the desire to create financial and emotional stability through work.
Moon: The Moon in the 2nd house can signify a basic need for material and financial security, and that one’s inner emotional equilibrium is deeply tied to one’s sense of external stability. There may be a strong desire or initiative to acquire possessions and partnerships that provide a sense of comfort, compatibility, and emotional stability amidst the inevitable fluctuations of fortune.
Mercury: Mercury in the 2nd house can orient the mind towards practicality, thoroughness, and a logical approach to all areas of life. One’s work or earned income may be connected in some way to Mercurial endeavors: communication, traveling, or mercantile businesses such as trade, commerce, or the exchange of goods and services.
Venus: Venus in the 2nd house can point to a love of material pleasures and a desire to immerse oneself in an environment that reflects one's aesthetic values. One’s income may derive from work involving the arts, interior design, fashion, beauty, or investing in that which creates and supports the proliferation of beauty and equality in the world.
Mars: Mars in the 2nd house suggests an attitude of willful determination to create material stability through work that aligns with one’s values. There may be a desire for an entrepreneurial or independent career path, motivated by a strong work ethic and a willingness to take risks to achieve security and possessions of value.
Jupiter: Jupiter in the 2nd house suggests that abundance and expansion are available to you through your work and earned income. There may be an innate sense of self-confidence bolstered by an attitude of optimism and faith in one’s abilities to make their dreams tangible. There can be a deep enjoyment of life’s pleasures along with the potential for overspending.
Saturn: Saturn in the 2nd house imparts lessons and potential challenges around the development of self-worth and the need to face fears around one’s ability to earn or hold onto financial stability. Saturn here can reward a slow and steady approach to building wealth, with a focus on saving, long-term investments, and the cultivation of financial responsibility.
Uranus: Uranus in the 2nd house can impart an individualistic and unconventional attitude towards money and finances, undergirded by a unique value system that prioritizes freedom and originality. There can be an erratic quality to one’s income or investments and a desire to earn money from entrepreneurial, innovative, or idealistic endeavors.
Neptune: As a planet of otherworldly imagination and boundless creativity, Neptune can make practical matters such as financial planning difficult or uninteresting when placed in the 2nd house. Neptune here can also suggest that one’s income is connected to spiritual, artistic, or humanitarian lines of work.
Pluto: Pluto in the 2nd house can indicate that some of the most profound life lessons come through confronting one’s deepest fears and anxieties related to money. A strong fear of loss may compel one to grip tightly to material possessions, with the subsequent need to learn to find stability, resilience, and peace from within.